Report: Round to join Moyes at United

We have a decent frame to go forward, but Stubbs and Weir are dragging the overall quality down, and they need to be replaced with attacking coaches. I think if Martinez comes to Everton then he has to freshen up the coaching and scouting team.

Neville would be a better option than Weir and Stubbs in my mind, since Neville has been coached by the best manager in Europe.

Are they taking that guy who whispers sweet nothing's in his ear too?

Christ, Fergie must be spinning in his grave.

If I recall, we actually paid Newcastle compo when we got Round from them.

Does anyone have evidence that he was no good? Anyone trained under him? Read his tactical analysis?

Above comments seem rather childish and idiotic.

He was shit.

At least we may get some compensation this time.

"Does anyone have evidence that he was no good?"

Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Utd away and just about any other game of any importance.

"Anyone trained under him?"

Phil Neville.

"Read his tactical analysis?"

Not sure but Wigan in the cup look like they'd flicked through it.

I think most of the dislike of Round comes from the fact that he isn't Alan Irvine.

I don't exactly know why, but there is something very unEverton about Steve Round. I have always thought it, and was actually hoping that Irvine would get his old job back when he came back to the club after Sheff Wed let him go.

Of all the backroom staff currently at Everton that could go with Moyes it is Irvine and Chris Woods that I would most be upset to lose.

The beauty of the stick men drawings was that if you flicked through fast enough they came to LIFE.

Look, they're really running ... back to defend their goal.

Brilliant - one of those sentences that I know is nonsense, but nevertheless I agree with completely.

Some things can't be analysed or explained, sometimes you just go with....a feeling.

Moyes has dismissed an entire backroom staff who have experience in and are used to winning numerous trophies over the last 26 yrs and replaced them with his own people who have experience in and are used to winning FUCK ALL in the last 11 yrs....what a fantastic manager he really is !!

No fucking clue about teaching a gang of unruly wannabe hoodie gangsters and then tells a teacher of 30 years experience where he went wrong.

Man Utd fans should be shitting bricks because dour Davey has bought his whole entourage of master tacticians with him. Wait till they get a load of RVP running channels and defending corners.

I actually have one, it blew out of the dugout just over a year ago and I managed to lean over and grab it.

Never been able to figure it out but think it may have been some kind of visual tactic information for Seamus.

http://images.colourbox.com/thumb_COLOURBOX4466361.jpg

Couldn't agree more. This reminds me of when certain people were calling Moyes a "c**t", "shithouse", etc. They were and are an embarrassment.

If any of the above contributors can provide solid proof that Steve Round is "shit", "unEverton", etc, without referring to his face, voice, or whatever then let's hear it.

Knowledgeable Evertonians? Don't make me laugh.

Oh yes let me see now......ZERO !!

He did a decent job but Moyes managed just as well without and it makes no sense to keep him.

Your post contains a lot of question marks, exclamation marks and capital letters - but no actual argument.

Again I ask: where is your evidence that Steve Round is "shit"? Your evidence, please.

· Seamus Coleman said that he taught him a better positional sense and how to defend set pieces
· Degsy said that Round would spend hours on the training ground after everyone had gone home working with Jagielka on his positional sense
· He tended to notice weaknesses in the opposition which could then be exploited, for instance, blah, blah

On the basis of the above (apart from the drawing provided by Eugene – real evidence) it seems there will be a lot of dry eyes around Goodison when he goes (and maybe some wet ones when he arrives in Manchester).

Absolutely nothing.

I suspect the reason Moyes wants him at Old Trafford is because he recognises the role Round played in helping him turn Everton into the sixth best football team in England, as the Board of directors were simultaneously turning Everton Football Club into a skint, asset-less laughing stock despite hardly spending a shilling on incoming transfers.

Martinez: trophies =1 =.........:-)

I spoke to neighbours, they said Owner had mentioned something about winning the lottery, hard decisions and having to go 'away'.

'Clippy' needs a good home, any offers, I would keep him myself but having 2 already I don't have the space and Knowsley Council would be all over me if I had 3.

Is this the end for Clippy, does the Green mile loom??

Tony Marsh, nailed on to win a trophy? I'd put a tenner on the Wigan in that game mate. If Moyes didn't prioritise the FA Cup or League Cup with Everton, what will he think of the Community Shield?

On Round himself, anyone who's watched Mike Bassett, I've one comparison to make: Doddsy.

For all the BK haters, there are also reports that Blue Bill fought very hard on this one - Man U couldn't have Moyes unless they took Round too.

Seriously though, glad to have this fecking turkey wing out of Goodison. If we are ever to push on we need to clear out hanger-oners like him. I can take Weir, Dunc and Stubbs employed as backroom staff as they're all real blues, but Round, Woods, FFS... Not only good news for us, but good for anyone else competing with Man U.

I know there are plenty of people around who have their keyboard grafted to their arse but I'm still surprised by the amount of guff on this thread.

Wonder what the reaction will be when Alan Irvine joins United.

That picture you managed to get your mitts on and our new badge seem to carry a common theme... Can't seem to pick it though.

For the same reasons, I think Neville will be better suited to a role at Old Trafford as for all his huff and puff and years of playing (dismal) football for us he is still quite clearly a Man Utd man at heart. I'm not so blinkered as to think you have to be a Toffee to work at Goodison, but surely blue deadwood is preferable to simply deadwood? Of course, if Round was actually any good, it'd be a very different matter.

I backed Moyes for most of his tenure, but now he's gone I don't feel at all bad about thinking/saying it's a good thing that his lapdog(s) also head for the exit.

However, with me being one of the MOB, I can only say, "Goodbye and fuck you, you little sycophantic fucker!" As for the rest of the backroom staff, the only people I don't want to see leave are, Big Dunc and Sheedy, don't even know why, there's just something about them for the future. Something in my bones, in my water, you know how it is good vibes. A bit like Laurel & Hardy, Morecambe & Wise, Fish & Chips, you know, they just go together. Moyes & Round where more like Hinge & Bracket... ask your dads, youngsters!

If Martinez, who also seems like a very amiable gentleman, gets the job, he'll almost certainly bring Steve Jones and Graham Barrow with him; I think Matt Jackson has something to do with Wigan as well, so we could see him back... Goalie coach for me would be Nigel Martyn who I know for a fact is a lovely man. New Masseur could be Big Sally from Scottie Road, what that woman can do with her hands is beyond belief, even Pele felt the benefit.

So here's to the next manager whoever it happens to be. Good luck, thank you – and may your God go with you

"Goodbye and fuck you, you little sycophantic fucker!"

Now that's funny!!!!

"Every time we played a big game Moyes and Round were out-thought and out-coached."

Now that's simply not true. FA Cup Final 2009 – the opposition just had too much for us. Remember we missed Yakubu, Arteta and Jagielka, our first-choice spine.

Fiorentina at home – we absolutely destroyed them and would have won by about 6-0 if it wasn't for the best goalkeeping performance I've seen at Goodison for years.

Liverpool F A Cup replay at Goodison – excellent tactical performance.

Liverpool at Wembley – individual error.

Wigan in the F A Cup – 1-0 down was recoverable but it went to 2-0 through a gross individual error.

Under Moyes we beat Man United three times and Liverpool four times at Goodison.

Liverpool semi-final: we went one-up and Liverpool were all over the place. Moyes, instead of being brave and going for the killer second, ordered the team to defend deep, creating too much of a gap between our midfield and forwards, isolating Fellaini in the process.

Wigan: Martinez set his team out to play between the lines with players interchanging positions. We could not cope with their movement and Moyes again did not react.

By the way, you have highlighted 2 games in 11 years to show how you think Moyes is tactically aware.

"...Osman wide right In front of Hibbert. Chelsea immediately overloaded our right side; Moyes did not react and Chelsea had a field day attacking down that side."

Osman in front of Hibbert was not ideal. But what were the options? We had lost the spine of the team to injury and, in particular, Arteta's absence disrupted the midfield. Chelsea took advantage and attacked Hibbert; he was booked early on and then couldn't make another tackle. Moyes did react: Hibbert did not appear in the second half. Essentially Chelsea just had a far better squad.

"Liverpool semi final: we went one up and Liverpool were all over the place."

We were in complete control of that game right up to the moment that Distin made his error. A second would have killed it, I agree, but to blame Moyes is just too convenient. It was a horrendous error, for which Distin apologised.

As regards Wigan, my view is that the second goal knocked the stuffing right out of the team – and it was down to another diabolical error, for which Neville apologised.

"By the way you have highlighted 2 games in 11 years to show how you think Moyes is tactically aware."

You stated that "Every time we played a big game, etc..." I merely identified counter-examples that rebut your contention. (Actually, I also mentioned seven wins against Man United and Liverpool, big games in which Moyes was scarcely out-thought and out-coached.)

I blame Moyes for the negative defend the box tactics with 45 minutes to play.

Is "knocked the stuffing out of us"a tactical term.

7 wins out of a possible 22 at home (that's without cup games) yippee hats of to David.

Yet I cannot remember fashioning any clear cut chances at all after we scored, and indeed when the shite equalised, we went into "rabbits in headlights" mode, and the Moyestro again used one of his substitution masterstrokes and pulled off a forward for a defender which in effect cost us the game! And all this after the derby debacle at Anfield previously! Moyes should have been sacked at the end of that season!

What was the alternative?

"I blame Moyes for the negative defend the box tactics with 45 minutes to play."
Depleted by injuries, playing against a far better squad, on that big pitch, in that heat, I thought the team did as much as they could.

"Is "knocked the stuffing out of us"a tactical term.

7 wins out of a possible 22 at home (that's without cup games) yippee hats of to David."

You have unfortunately reverted to the childish sarcasm that seems to attack people on this site. Please desist; it's embarrassing to see it emanating from someone like yourself who obviously knows a lot about the game.

Your original post stated that Moyes and Round were out thought and out coached in every big game they contested. You were wrong.

I agree with you to some extent; as I replied to Paul, a second goal would have finished them off. They were shite at the back and that keeper was, as you say, cack.

The Shite were showing nothing until Distin's back-pass and we were comfortable. Even their second goal was down to a stupid tackle by (I think) Coleman. (Individual errors abound in these games and we tend to make them. When have we EVER won a "big" derby? Not just under Moyes, but ever?)

If Moyes had out-thought anyone in the semi vs RS, he would have seen their 'keepers absolute shockers in the previous games and said to the boys, "Fucking shoot! All day! Just give him hell!" That tactic, with their mediocre midfield and defense would have seen us through to another final.

You are using the sarcasm jibe to get away from your lack of an argument. We were discussing tactical awareness,or lack of,you responded with "it knocked the stuffing out of them".

You champion Moyes's tactical awareness, then ask "what option did he have" when questioned why Osman played wide right.

I think you have answered my point. A tactically aware coach would look at the players he had available and adapt the formation to suit. Not play people in positions that they were not suited to because he was rigid in his preferred formation.

"Carl, obvisouly your idea of a big game and an important game is similar"

That is correct, yes. A "big" game is one on which something is riding, be it a trophy, qualification or mere bragging right.

By that definition the Fiorentina home game was "bigger" than the away game. (I don't agree that the away leg is always "bigger".)

The second half of your post does make a lot of sense. There must come a point, though, when the players have to take some responsibility for on-pitch events. We lose to Liverpool: it's Moyes's fault. We lose to Wigan: it's Moyes's fault. That Wigan defeat was as much down to Fellaini's appalling performance as anything else, in my view.

"You are using the sarcasm jibe to get away from your lack of an argument."

No, not at all. I merely made an observation politely and without rancour.

"You champion Moyes tactical awareness.."

Not at all. I merely supplied you with twelve counter-examples to your contention that Moyes was out thought and out coached in "every big game".

then ask "what option did he have" when questioned why Osman played wide right.

Not at all. I asked, "what was the alternative?" You still answered that question. Paul, what midfield formation would you have selected on that day?

Your original post stated that Moyes and Round were out thought and out coached in every big game they contested. Do you continue to hold that view?

Erratum - You still haven't answered that question.

Apologies.

McClaren & Hodgson both got to European Finals, and were rewarded with big jobs.

Moyes is a very lucky man to be sitting in the OT hotseat, whichever way you want to spin it.

"What midfield formation would you have selected on that day"

Give me £70,000 a week and I will tell you

"Give me £70,000 a week and I will tell you."

So, you still haven't answered the question.

What about my other question? You haven't answered that one, either.

Do you continue to believe that Moyes and Round were out thought and out coached in every big game we played?

"Yep"

Then there's nothing more to be said. Over and out.

Hopefully tomorrow we find out who is the new manager and which bunch of backroom staff are coming in through one door as the departing back room staff go out of another door!